Cebuano Flavour for British Council entry at 100% design

Jonathan "Jay" Aldeguer was recently named by the British Council as Philippine candidate to the global search for International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year (IYDEY), which culminates in the UK this September as the featured event at 100% Design, London's biggest architecture and interiors product fair.

Aldeguer bested a number of sterling nominees from the Philippines, aged 25-35 years old, who were all established designers in their respective fields. His track record in building up Island Souvenirs as a premier product brand spoke well of his current initiatives to boost local tourism and the over-all identity standards for Cebu under his peripheral companies Cebu TV 28 and Destinations Media. The judging panel gathered by the British Council concurred that despite being a "frustrated artist," Aldeguer's character, drive, and business acumen enabled him to demonstrate that he can indeed promote Filipino design in a commercial context.

The IYDEY programme will bring Aldeguer to Glasgow and London, which are the UK's foremost centres of creativity. There, he will establish a network of contacts among UK designers, design-led retailers and manufacturers, publishers and cultural institutions active in the procurement of design and architecture.

Participation in 100% Design will allow Aldeguer to promote the Philippine design scene even further. At the British Council stand, he will exhibit Kenneth Cobonpue's "Pigalle" armchair as his example of an innovative Filipino design that deserves to reach the global market. Cobonpue attracted the attention of the British Council's creative industries unit last year as the youngest member of Movement 8.

Aldeguer will compete against equally impressive candidates from Argentina, India, Lebanon, Lithuania, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Thailand. The IYDEY search underscores the British Council's thrust of promoting the creative industries in transitional economies, while creating opportunity for people worldwide.